ACC Insider - Paige eager to prove he's worthy of comparisons

Published: Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 11:31 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 11:31 p.m.

KANSAS CITY | Marcus Paige took the No. 5 willingly, knowing full well the comparisons the decision would invite.

“I figured they were going to happen anyway because we're both left-handed point guards,” Paige said, referring to Kendall Marshall – the most recent No. 5 for the North Carolina basketball team. “I'm sure me picking his number didn't help stop them.”

That's the kind of confidence the kid has.

It doesn't matter if he's following in the footsteps of last year's Bob Cousy Award winner and first-round NBA draft pick, bouncing back from a bad game or driving to the basket among a forest of big men with the shot clock running down, the slender 6-foot freshman isn't afraid to take the ball and lead.

It's just that tonight, when he leads his eighth-seeded Tar Heels against No. 9 Villanova at Sprint Center in his first-ever NCAA tournament game, it will be into uncharted territory.

That's a prospect bound to keep most college coaches up all night with dread. But UNC's Roy Williams is surprisingly comfortable with the reality.

It's an attitude that likely stems from the success he's had in the past with freshmen point guards from Jacque Vaughn and Kirk Hinrich at Kansas to Ty Lawson and Marshall in Chapel Hill. It's also a testament to the fact that Williams, over the course of a long season, has learned to have as much confidence in Paige as the youngster has in himself.

“I know it's not easy to win with a freshman point guard because there's so many things he hasn't seen,” Williams said. “It's been done, but it's not easy by any means.

“I knew with Marcus, I had a kid who was very intelligent (and) had great basketball savvy. It was probably easier for him than it would be a lot of other people.”

That doesn't mean Paige's transition into the college game – at a place where all the world is watching – was completely seamless.

He played 28 minutes in his first game without picking up an assist and went 1 for 8 the floor in his second game, following those performances up with a string of up and down efforts that showed both his potential and his inexperience.

It wasn't until Williams switched to a smaller four-guard lineup on Feb. 13 against Duke – a move that ultimately benefited several Tar Heels and the team as a whole – that Paige began to consistently flourish.

“The small lineup relieved a lot of pressure off him,” senior teammate Dexter Strickland said. “It really allowed him to attack and find guys open for shots, and that's his game. It also left him open a lot more, which helped him knock down more of his own shots than he did earlier in the year. He's been big for us.”

He's also been resilient.

After suffering something of a setback by committing five turnovers in a potentially disastrous home loss to Duke, Paige bounced back by handing out 17 assists with only three turnovers while leading the Tar Heels to the ACC tournament final last week.

“I feel like I've earned the guys' respect to where I can make the calls and have them listen,” Paige said. “I get to be the coach on the floor now instead of being just one of the guys who sits back and doesn't say anything.”

In many ways, Paige's freshman progression has followed a similar path to that of Marshall, who came on strong after taking over as the starter for the second half of the ACC schedule.

That season, the rookie point guard wearing No. 5 led UNC to a surprise appearance in the NCAA's Elite Eight. Considering the circumstances and the differences in his supporting cast, the current No. 5 would do well just to get his team past the first round tonight.

Regardless of how far the kid ends up taking the Tar Heels, you can bet it's going to be with confidence.

<p>KANSAS CITY | Marcus Paige took the No. 5 willingly, knowing full well the comparisons the decision would invite.</p><p>“I figured they were going to happen anyway because we're both left-handed point guards,” Paige said, referring to Kendall Marshall – the most recent No. 5 for the North Carolina basketball team. “I'm sure me picking his number didn't help stop them.”</p><p>That's the kind of confidence the kid has.</p><p>It doesn't matter if he's following in the footsteps of last year's Bob Cousy Award winner and first-round NBA draft pick, bouncing back from a bad game or driving to the basket among a forest of big men with the shot clock running down, the slender 6-foot freshman isn't afraid to take the ball and lead.</p><p>It's just that tonight, when he leads his eighth-seeded Tar Heels against No. 9 Villanova at Sprint Center in his first-ever NCAA tournament game, it will be into uncharted territory.</p><p>That's a prospect bound to keep most college coaches up all night with dread. But UNC's Roy Williams is surprisingly comfortable with the reality.</p><p>It's an attitude that likely stems from the success he's had in the past with freshmen point guards from Jacque Vaughn and Kirk Hinrich at Kansas to Ty Lawson and Marshall in Chapel Hill. It's also a testament to the fact that Williams, over the course of a long season, has learned to have as much confidence in Paige as the youngster has in himself.</p><p>“I know it's not easy to win with a freshman point guard because there's so many things he hasn't seen,” Williams said. “It's been done, but it's not easy by any means.</p><p>“I knew with Marcus, I had a kid who was very intelligent (and) had great basketball savvy. It was probably easier for him than it would be a lot of other people.”</p><p>That doesn't mean Paige's transition into the college game – at a place where all the world is watching – was completely seamless.</p><p>He played 28 minutes in his first game without picking up an assist and went 1 for 8 the floor in his second game, following those performances up with a string of up and down efforts that showed both his potential and his inexperience.</p><p>It wasn't until Williams switched to a smaller four-guard lineup on Feb. 13 against Duke – a move that ultimately benefited several Tar Heels and the team as a whole – that Paige began to consistently flourish.</p><p>“The small lineup relieved a lot of pressure off him,” senior teammate Dexter Strickland said. “It really allowed him to attack and find guys open for shots, and that's his game. It also left him open a lot more, which helped him knock down more of his own shots than he did earlier in the year. He's been big for us.”</p><p>He's also been resilient.</p><p>After suffering something of a setback by committing five turnovers in a potentially disastrous home loss to Duke, Paige bounced back by handing out 17 assists with only three turnovers while leading the Tar Heels to the ACC tournament final last week.</p><p>“I feel like I've earned the guys' respect to where I can make the calls and have them listen,” Paige said. “I get to be the coach on the floor now instead of being just one of the guys who sits back and doesn't say anything.”</p><p> In many ways, Paige's freshman progression has followed a similar path to that of Marshall, who came on strong after taking over as the starter for the second half of the ACC schedule.</p><p>That season, the rookie point guard wearing No. 5 led UNC to a surprise appearance in the NCAA's Elite Eight. Considering the circumstances and the differences in his supporting cast, the current No. 5 would do well just to get his team past the first round tonight.</p><p>Regardless of how far the kid ends up taking the Tar Heels, you can bet it's going to be with confidence.</p><p> </p><p>ACC Insider <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic24"><b>Brett Friedlander</b></a> can be reached at starnewsacc@gmail.com.</p>